The art and activism of Maliha Abidi

The Women Rise project by artist Maliha Abidi

Every activist has a dynamic way of bringing their opinions forward that forces people to pay attention. Activism takes on many forms, each as unique and brilliant as the other. Whether it’s sending a message through music, film, protesting, or organizing, it all creates a disturbance.

For Maliha Abidi, art is her medium. Although a neuroscience student, Maliha views her unshakable passion for art as her first love. Art is a tool to mobilize communities and create social change on various issues. For Maliha, art comes naturally. She utilizes it as a platform to raise awareness on issues she’s passionate about.

Maliha uses her platform to speak on issues affected by women of color. Her work embodies her passions in many ways. An example is her thought-provoking collection, ‘Pakistan for Women,’ and, ‘Rise,’ a series of stunning illustrations capturing women of all backgrounds. Maliha illuminates women across all spectrums from entertainers, scientists, and sportswomen to the less appreciated strengths of activists.

‘Rise’ was inspired by brilliant strong women of color whom we witness every day. For Maliha, diversity was a new concept. But soon it would hold meaning to her. Instances where, as a child, students in her school would relate terrorism with her faith stunned her. However, it also planted the idea of how important accurate representation was.

A growing number of artists and cryptocurrency exchanges are now riding the popularity of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) to launch blockchain-based fundraising campaigns for philanthropic causes.

Maliha launched her Women Rise project to mint 10,000 NFTs, donating part of the proceeds from the sale to advocacy groups supporting equal rights for women, such as the Malala Fund, an NGO co-founded by activist Malala Yousafzai to support girls’ education. Each NFT features a hand-drawn portrait of women of different nationalities and traits.

NFTs are blockchain-based tokens that represent collectibles, art pieces, and other creative works whose designs are one of a kind, and therefore non-fungible.

“We want to start with increasing literacy of the internet and technology among women,” Abidi said during a call hosted by cryptocurrency exchange OKEX. Abidi said the goal was to educate families about the “financial independence to be gained from participating on the internet and blockchain community”.

Blockchain will become the new normal for the web in the future, according to Abidi, who worked as a traditional artist for nine years and is also studying neuroscience at the University of Sussex in the UK.
Blockchain and NFTs help connect artists directly with collectors because they eliminate the need for middlemen like galleries and art brokers. This means “there is a lot of money to be made” for artists and musicians, even if they do not have a university degree, Abidi said.

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